Tre Cime di Laverado

Saturday 29th

Two hour drive from Lienz to Tre Cime di Lavaredo - no I'd never heard of it either, but the walk around the 3 peaks is apparently de rigueur.....   this much was obvious when we got to the car park ..... hundreds of cars, 30 euro to enter the park! It's where the two chaps from TV show Italy Unpacked ended the last show..   I'm willing to bet they were helicoptered in for the shoot!

Suffice to say, we came, we saw, we walked...   well worth the effort - scenery spectacular, reviews discuss it like it's a walk in the park... trust me ...it is NOT... took us about 3.5 to 4 hours and it is very strenuous... in other words, a lot of uphill sections and the downhill ones very hazardous with loose rubble. More walking poles than you can shake a stick at, very sensible people... not us of course.

We continued on to our next stop Cortina d'Ampezzo, another v tres chic (this time Italian) Alps town.............   and have been flatout on the bed for last 2 hours.... totally destroyed!

Nice old place near Lienz

Tre cime

My attempt at a panoramic, cut off the 1st chimney

More views

See the precarious track

Stunning rock formations

See the track - a refuge stop above

The Tre cime's - 3 chimneys

Still upright - amazing

Beautiful views from walk

Grossglockner

Friday 28th

Today was drive on Grossglockner mountain pass, about 48 Ks . A toll of 36 euro for the pleasure... not sure how much pleasure in an underpowered little peugot!  Very popular road trip, we saw a group of porsches gt3s- English rego- all traveling together - doing it before they fall off the perch by the look of them. I guess it's a man thing. Grossglockner is the highest mountain in Austria... the top viewing stop shows the Pasterze Glacier in front of it and the scenery the entire length of the road is absolutely magnificent.

Settled on Lienz - a v tres chic Austrian Alps town -for the night, had a passeggiata around the town, quick look at the 12th century schloss and time for tea. Nice tea in hotel - also tres chic

Frank and the poor little peugot

Us two fatties with Grossglockner peak and Pasterze glacier behind

Schloss Bruck, Lienz

Road twisting below

Road protected from rockfalls

Hallstatt salt mines

Wednesday 26th

Another long drive across Austria, seemed to be retracing our steps...  all my fault apparently because I wanted to go to the Belvedere Museum in Vienna! I cannot get my head around this map! Not to worry!  It was, however,  another lower route, probably more scenic, lots of mountains and curvy roads. What amazes me is the frequency of villages coming up on the road, one after another, makes for a very slow trip. We stayed at a place called Bad Goisern,   Bad features a lot as prefix to place names, meaning spa town.

Inside a little roadside shrine... one of many

Yes, this is the shrine

Austrian Alps dotted with houses

Lake Hallstatt, v picturesque

Thursday 27th

Destination today is Hallstatt, site of the oldest salt mine in the world. Approach is along Lake Hallstatt, v scenic and would rival Lake Geneva in beauty, mountains on one side, beautiful old wooden houses up the hill. .

Hallstatt  REAL tourist town and for a reason, - thick with tourists -  obviously settled on the edge of the lake because of the salt mine. Archaeogical findings have found evidence of salt mining here from prehistoric times.
Salt mine tour very good,  bit Disney, but included wooden slides down between different horizontals - levels - one was 64metres long... lots of fun and screams.
Interesting part was about Hallstatt miners  in 1734 who uncovered the body of the miner preserved in salt.  Today, it is assumed that the man perished in a mine accident some time during the 1st millennium BC.
When we left Hallstatt exit was via 1 way tunnel, due to road works.  Some bright spark at the other end ran a redlight, so as exiting traffic left, in the tunnel we were met by a car coming towards us.  Automatic lights at both ends of the tunnel meant that those coming in just kept on coming, 1 hour later it was cleared....   not enough vit B in the world to deal with these situations!

Hallstatt

Frank in the fetching outfit we donned for the Saltmine tour

The salt in rock

This bronze age wooden ladder was uncovered in 2002

View of Hallstatt from the salt mine

Hallstatt, v picturesque

Frank, apple tart, me Hallstatt cake.. v v rich

Another view of Hallstatt

Inside the kirche, wider than deeper dimensions

Traffic jam in tunnel

Me struggling up to Salt mine

Such a pretty town

Vienna

Tuesday 25th

Yesterday long drive to get to Vienna.

.

Lots of country like this

And this

Picturesque ruin

 This morning trained into central Vienna, destination Belvedere Museum, known for Gustav Klimt paintings...  remember Helen Mirren film Woman in Gold.... well you won't find that one here, as Austrian Gov forced to return it (& others) to rightful owners and it now resides in NY. Nevertheless Klimt still well represented in the gallery and obviously the drawcard for the museum

Upper Belvedere Museum Vienna

Parterre garden Belvedere

Klimt painting - all looked like same model to me, altho apparently not!

Klimt landscape

The Kiss  -  Klimt

Another Klimt portrait, looks the same woman huh?

What everyone comes to see

Vienna street scene

After walking feet off in museum repaired to Sacher Hotel for sacher torte, ok I guess, remember it as richer and denser last time. Still coffee v nice and red velvet obviously underrated as a furnishing fabric, ha ha

I look fatter, right?

Funny thing, when we were walking back to the Vienna HBF, Frank point out a Toyota LandCruiser, 78 series, (needed help with that)  RIGHT hand drive.  REGO VIC.!..   that's right, missed that turnoff for Geelong, no doubt!

Admont Abbey

Sunday 23rd

Hostess of B&B served our breakfast in traditional garb (Sound of Music)  this morning, she was on her way to   church to sing in the choir. That is what you see a lot of in both Germany and Austria (so far) - waitresses wearing the Dirndl - big skirt white blouse, apron etc  AND men running around in lederhosen....   who would have thunk!

Drove to Admont to the Admont Abbey - Benedictine monastery, home of the largest monastery library. Library is quite a magnificent spectacle to behold, rococo styling in the extreme,  white and gold, frescos on the ceiling by 80 year old Italian painter and sculptures by some other poor tortured soul. Monastery has other museums with 15c artworks and object d'art...   mostly of a religious theme... as art was in those days. Library dates from 1770s, and missed out on big fire in 1860s.

Admont Abbey, beautiful gardens

One of 7 cupola ceilings in Library, frescos by Bartolomeo Altomonte

Me, mouth agape at all the white and gold

Featured sculptures incongruous with all the white/gold

Library

Example of other artworks from 15Century

Abbey Church